Cochise County is soliciting public Arguments in support or opposition to the proposed Douglas Groundwater Basin designation as an Active Management Area. The applicant has met the signature submittal threshold, however, this measure has not yet qualified for the ballot.
The Cochise County Elections Department and the Recorder’s Office have until August 29, 2022, to complete the statutory processes to determine if the measure will appear on the General Election ballot on November 8, 2022. Qualified electors residing within the boundaries of the proposed basin would vote on the measure.
As defined by the Arizona Department of Water Resources, “Active Management Areas, or AMAs, are areas within the state that are subject to certain statutory and administrative regulations regarding the withdrawal and use of groundwater.”
Cochise County is accepting official Arguments from qualified citizens, and the deadline for submission is August 3, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. If the measure qualifies to appear on the ballot, qualifying Arguments will be printed in the publicity pamphlet for the election.
Residents interested in submitting an Argument must follow the following guidelines:
- A person or organization submitting Arguments must indicate whether the Argument is in support or in opposition to the measure. The Argument shall not exceed 300 words.
- Arguments must clearly include the name, residential address, and telephone number of the person(s) signing it. Only the names of the person(s) signing the Argument and their city will appear in the Publicity Pamphlet. Arguments will be printed as submitted with no grammatical or textual corrections.
- All Arguments must contain the original signatures of each person(s) or organization sponsoring it and they must include the following sworn statement:
- I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing information is true and correct and I am the sponsor of this Argument advocating or opposing this measure.
- All original signatures must be notarized.
- If sponsored by an individual, the Argument must be signed by the sponsor. If sponsored by an organization or corporation (not a Political Committee), two executive officers must sign and identify the organization’s name. If sponsored by a Political Committee, it must be signed by the Committee’s Chair or Treasurer and must identify the Committee name.
All Arguments must be submitted by email to the Director of Elections at elections@cochise.az.gov. A signed copy with the original signature(s) must be received at 1415 Melody Lane, Building E, Bisbee AZ 85603, by 5:00 p.m. on August 3, 2022. Argument signatures must be notarized. Arguments that don’t comply with the requirements may not be included in the pamphlet.
For more information with a map of the proposed basin visit www.cochise.az.gov/elections under the Initiative section on the homepage or contact the Director of Elections at 520-432-8975.
For more information on Active Management Areas, specifically the Douglas Groundwater Basin proposal, visit https://new.azwater.gov/ama/faqs-douglas-ama or call (602) 771-8500.